MoriNoHogosha comments

If it's really just symbolic and few whales are caught in those waters, why protest at all?

Obviously, they see this as a threat to their industry. They've already been allowed a number of exceptions, including access to areas where there shouldn't be any whaling in the first place. They, and I mean ALL the pro-whaling countries and not just Japan, ought to suck it up and deal with the fact that there already aren't enough whales to feed their demand, so a merely "symbolic" proposal for a sanctuary should be no issue.

They KNOW it's beneficial to any animal population to set up sanctuaries. They're just too stuck-up and belligerent to admit it they're slowly eating marine mammals - yes, more than one kind :P - into extinction.

cleo - You're right. I was in a rather cynical mood while typing that out in a frenzy.

If anything, it was cowardice more than selfishness. I've been close enough to the edge that I remember feeling nothing but fear, just being scared to hell, and debilitating sadness. Awareness of the effects of one's actions on others yet choosing in one's own favor is a requisite of selfishness, and this woman, in all likelyhood, wasn't.

However, it doesn't excuse what I feel is an overwhelming atmosphere herein - that people are criticizing that woman for not thinking about the aftermath of her suicide. Of course she didn't. If she were aware enough of her surroundings and were able to fully assess her situation, she likely wouldn't have jumped in the first place. They don't realize how much of a mental block depression puts on a person.

Then again, she may not have been depressed at all. She may simply have chosen this route because of her belief that it would both end her suffering and take the burden of supporting her away from society and/or whatever family she had.

Regardless of her true mental state prior to jumping, I place blame for neither the damages nor the resulting trauma on that woman. I place it on the society that failed to recognize the symptoms of her impending self-destruction (or worse, chose to ignore them), the cultural history of seeing suicide as a viable option to ending one's problems, and the lack of support in general for the prevention of suicide and the need to change this ancient mindset.

I really liked Ueno Park, especially with its old wooded areas. I spent the better part of a day just walking around not even noticing the time pass. I probably would have even stayed longer had I not been alerted by the sound of Taikos from the open air theatre in the area.

I find it utterly ridiculous that people call this woman "selfish" based on the fact that she somehow, in her morbidly depressed state of mind ...

managed to calculate the exact angle from which to jump
pinpointed the exact spot at which to aim her body on a train moving at 110km/h
timed her jump and its height perfectly
and ultimately used her flying corpse as a projectile with which to smash through a shop door with the sole intention of injuring and traumatizing four people inside the store.

Really?!

Selfish? Based on the collateral damage you think was somehow purposely premeditated? Why, of course it is! I applaud the sheer ingenuity of this theory! Why, no, of course I'm not being sarcastic!

I have contemplated running away from seemingly insurmountable life problems through death at least twice in my lifetime. I even came close once, and I probably would not be sitting here typing this if not for... intervention. Still, I was always somehow conscious of the fact that there are better options. This was perhaps because, in the back of my mind, I always knew help and support were available. I don't know the severity of that woman'situation, so I can't say what pushed her over the edge, but I doubt she had any people she could be open with or even had a shoulder to lean on.

True, suicide is seen as selfish in many parts of the world, but most of those who think this (even myself sometimes) cannot even begin to understand what makes a person contemplate let alone choose such a route. We also have to consider the underlying cultural mindset. Many Japanese still believe suicide is honorable and ends not only the suffering of oneself but takes the burden away from those around them as well.

Nevertheless, that doesn't excuse the fact that Japan is in dire need of social support services, anywhere from distress centers for abused women or victims of rape to trauma counselling and psychiatric treatment. Also, Japan's teen suicide rate is among the highest in the world. So yes, prevention starts in the early years. Parents as well as educational institutions have a responsibility for the wellfare of their youth, not just their grades.

There has to be a point where we can finally stop writing about the lack of awareness of and help for the mentally ill or emotionally unstable in Japan because someone with enough influence actually decided to do something about it for once.

And what of being a "weirdo"? Who the hell has the right to define what anyone's version of normality should be? Do we call fashion models, designers, singers, artists, architects, and inventors "weirdos"?! Well, if that's the case, then so be it, but let's not forget that they are also bold and creative.

Everyone has an outlet, for whatever reason they need one. What would you rather have, people running amuck like lunatics, putting others in danger, selling drugs, and killing each other, or "weirdos" making visual statements about their personalities?